With the tragedy in Haiti, as I designer I am compelled to think about a solution for those poor people. Pretty much everyone there is either homeless or doesn’t have enough room to take in homeless family or neighbors.
The people need food and medical care - but how could we as a country (and as designers) help to get them back on track quickly - while not spending much money on restoring infrastructure?
I started thinking about Buckminster Fuller (WWBFD?) and then starting thinking about prefab housing and second-life-of-objects housing. As a nation - we import so much goods from China in these huge metal shipping crates. Instead of sending them back to china - why not re-route some to Haiti to be refitted and become the basis for simple structures? Attractive? Not really - but functional yes (and certainly weatherproof (and more earthquake proof than powder concrete without re-bar reinforcement).
Let’s not forget - Haiti was a starving, struggling 3rd world country before the earthquake. As human beings - we should help them restore basic infrastructures - homes, farms, marketplaces, clean water systems (I had an idea for a aqueduct/viaduct system similar to a firetruck’s hose that seems easy to set up). We need to act fast, and act cheaply. Otherwise - if it is left up to the starving desperate people - the country will certainly fall into the hands of evil zealot warlords not unlike Afghanistan, Ethiopia or Congo or some place like that.
Anyways, here are some images that I found interesting relating to prefab housing.
